Proud Sword

Chapter 48: Proud Sword

At the border of the Dragon Kingdom, atop Subduing Tiger Mountain.

Two figures faced each other from afar amid the clouds and mist.

One wore a thin azure robe and held an Azure Peak Longsword in his sleeve-hidden hand. His bearing was naturally proud, and he gazed ahead with an indifferent expression.

The other wore a black robe and held a black longsword that seemed to swallow and exhale the mountain mist. A crimson scabbard hung from his back.

"Proud Sword, I still won!"

Drops of blood slid from the azure-robed figure's wrist. His hand loosened around the sword, and the Azure Peak Longsword crashed to the ground.

"Back then, when I fought your father, I killed him by mistake. That was my fault, and I understand your desire for revenge. But compared to me, your talent for the sword is still lacking. Even if I gave you another ten or twenty years, so what? You would never be my match." The black-robed man looked at Proud Sword, his expression complicated.

"Ta... talent?" Pain gradually appeared on the azure-robed man's normally impassive face.

He thought of how he had trained relentlessly in swordsmanship for revenge, abandoned his wife and daughter, and devoted himself to the sword. Yet in the end, was it all for nothing?

Proud Sword's heart was filled with unwillingness. He raised his head again, his face twisted, and reached out. The Azure Peak Longsword suddenly rose into the air and was clenched tightly in his hand.

"Again!"

Azure Lotus Sword Flowers bloomed atop the mountain, tearing through the clouds and mist as sharp sword blades shot in every direction.

"Proud Sword, your sword heart is unstable. If you keep fighting, be careful not to stray onto the wrong path of the sword!"

As he spoke, the black-robed man held his longsword horizontally before him. A massive sword shadow emerged and enveloped him. No matter how Sword Qi raged outside, within it he stood as steady as a mountain.

"Ah! Die!"

Proud Sword's eyes were bloodshot now. He had completely fallen into madness, continuously swinging his longsword as the demonic nature in his heart grew ever stronger.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound rang out. The Sword Qi atop the mountain, as though it had lost its source, completely scattered. The Azure Peak Longsword broke at that moment as well.

Proud Sword dropped to his knees with a thud and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Alas, Proud Sword, though you are obsessed with the sword, you have now completely fallen into madness. Turn back while you still can. Abandon the sword!"

Proud Sword did not reply this time. He merely stared blankly at the broken longsword, as if his soul had been hollowed out.

"Alas..."

Ruthless sighed again, put away the Black Sword, and turned to leave.

The clouds and mist once again shrouded the mountain peak, while Proud Sword continued to stare stupidly at the longsword like a puppet that had lost its spirit.

A year later, fine rain fell without end. Proud Sword appeared once more on the streets of an old town paved with bluestone slabs.

He followed a small road out of town, trudging through muddy ground toward the mountain.

When he reached the mountaintop, Proud Sword looked from afar at two gravestones leaning against each other, nearly covered by weeds, before turning away again.

He was obsessed with the sword; the sword was his life. To practice it, he had lost far too much. Though the deaths of his wife and daughter had once left him in unbearable agony, pain was pain—he had never regretted it.

Born for the sword, he had been given the name Proud Sword!

That was what his father had told him, and he had always worked tirelessly toward it.

But Proud Sword was now completely lost.

His father had been accidentally killed in a duel with Ruthless. Yet now, even after he had abandoned everything for the sword, he still was not Ruthless's match.

He did not know where to go next, nor did he know where to seek that elusive supreme way of the sword.

Carrying confusion and despair, Proud Sword simply kept walking and walking, without direction or purpose, seeking only the supreme way of the sword in his heart.

That day, the disheveled and listless Proud Sword leaned weakly against a corner of the street.

At that moment, two young men walked past him:

"Hey, did you know? Yesterday, the Demolition Office and Guardian Angel got into another fight out in the wilderness. There was a swordsman playing Berserker who was practically invincible. His swordsmanship must make him a super expert in real life too. I really want to take him as my master and learn swordsmanship from him..."

Upon hearing this, Proud Sword's murky eyes, which had been fixed on the corner, gradually lit up. He suddenly rose to his feet, appeared before the speaking young man, and grabbed his arm.

"A swordsmanship expert? Where? Tell me where!"

"Ah, you're hurting me." The young man's face reddened from the pain as he repeatedly slapped Proud Sword's arm.

"Tell me, where is the swordsmanship expert?"

"Battle Online, in the Battle Online game. His name is Mu Jiuge..."

This was Proud Sword's first time encountering virtual equipment. After awkwardly putting it on, he donned the Virtual Helmet and entered Battle Online.

Seeing the nearly real world before him, Proud Sword was deeply shocked.

He had lived in a remote ancient town since childhood, practicing the sword from a young age and devoting his heart to it. This was the first time he had encountered such high-tech equipment.

Fortunately, the game provided guidance for everything from character creation onward. Following the instructions, he chose a sword-wielding Berserker and officially began the game.

Having reached the Entrance to the Microscopic Realm through sword practice, Proud Sword felt the difference between reality and illusion more deeply than other Players. He even suspected that everything before him truly existed.

However, he had only one goal: find Mu Jiuge and witness his way of the sword.

Throughout the process, he did not kill a single wild monster. He simply kept asking and searching.

After spending more than half a day, he finally met Mu Jiuge of the Demolition Office Guild.

"I challenge you!" Those were Proud Sword's first words.

Mu Jiuge glanced at the level 0 above Proud Sword's head and smiled as he shook his head. "Come back when your level is higher!"

"You don't dare? The sword heart must move Forward Without Hesitation. You are unworthy of practicing the sword!" Hearing Mu Jiuge's refusal, Proud Sword shook his head in disappointment and turned to leave.

Mu Jiuge was also a man obsessed with the sword in real life. Hearing Proud Sword's words, anger rose within him as well:

"Whether I am worthy or not is not for you to decide. You are arrogant and conceited. If you want a fight, then I will accompany you!"

A smile appeared on Proud Sword's face this time. He turned around and raised his starter longsword.

Unlike other Players, the weapon Mu Jiuge had bought from the shop was also a longsword. He had not chosen large weapons like greatswords or battle axes, which provided the greatest boosts to the Berserker class.

The two were twenty-six levels apart, yet the moment they exchanged blows, Mu Jiuge was completely stunned.

The swordsmanship and movement technique Proud Sword displayed belonged to none of the swordsmanship schools Mu Jiuge had encountered. They merged completely into the formless, as though he was not fighting a person at all, but a sword—a killing sword that revealed all its edge.

In just three exchanges, the longsword in Proud Sword's hand struck him more than ten times, while he had not touched Proud Sword even once with his own sword.

If not for his higher level, superior attributes, and defensive gear, Mu Jiuge believed he would already have lost.